<p>I'm making the move from lurker to member so I can get an outside opinion on my situation. I live in a mid-sized rural town, with one public high school. The school isn't too bad. Nobody goes to Ivies from it, but we have some AP classes (although few people take/pass the tests). I've glided through 11 years in this school district, but I'm withdrawing soon. This year, I took 5 AP classes and, out of boredom, self-studied for 5 more. I'm expecting 5's on all of them and accounting for a few 4's. I have near-perfect SAT and ACT scores. I'm currently studying multivariable calculus and differential equations and physics and spanish and world history (all of which I should be done with by the end of summer). I plan to study more next school year.
Also, I am heavily involved with extracurriculars. That will obviously change next year, but this year, but this year I've had several leadership positions and elections to President of a service club and Editor-in-Chief of journalism as well as spearheading a children's theatre production this summer. Next year, in addition to homeschool, I'll be "heavily involved" with a Mixed Martial Arts prganization and service clubs and holding down a job.</p>
<p>So, in light of this situation, what would Ivy Leagues think? Let me know if I need to put more information. And for clarification, I'm withdrawing from public school to be homeschooled senior year.</p>
<p>I didn’t know guidance counselors did anything except for the recommendation (which, hopefully, I’ll still get because we’re on pretty good terms). But yes, I am prepared.</p>
<p>And would my EC’s still be impressive considering I “quit” senior year?</p>
<p>I don’t have minority status (Although I have grown up with quite a bit of native american culture. I’m only an 1/8 but, for example, my parents read me Cherokee bedtime stories. I’m not quite ready to sell my soul and claim Native American yet though). The only semi-hook I could think of would be my location, as Ivies do claim to seek “geological diversity” and very few from these parts go to Ivies.</p>
<p>As an Ivy League grad with an Ivy daughter, I think you sound just right for the Ivies and probably intriguing to them. They love people who push themselves harder than their school allows. Just don’t get cocky.</p>
<p>IMO, a very attractive applicant given your rural background and accomplishments. Almost compelling. The elites have more than enough applicants from wealthy suburbs and urban elite private schools. If you can match their applicants on the academics, IMO, you would be preferred.
On the demographics generally, my son’s two girlfriends at Dartmouth were from Missoula, Montana, and Bemidji, Minnesota. I have no idea what their academic profiles were in high school, but I tend to think that they were attractive applicants based upon their backgrounds. These were pickup driving gals who knew how to shoot a gun, as an aside, which was quite a contrast to my urban hipster son, who didn’t even drive a car.
Another issue is Native American status and whether to claim it. At least at Dartmouth, having a significant Native American population is an institutional goal. The school was founded to educate the Indians. My son’s first year roommate was one-eighth Cherokee (it may have actually been one-sixteenth), with an 1120 on the (two part) SAT. The Native American provenance in his case was not that strong, in that the guy had lived in Paris. He flunked out due mostly to partying and avoidance of academic challenges, but returned to graduate in the end.
If you were my son or daughter, I would advise you to establish your Native American bona fides and be honest about how this impacts your life. If it doesn’t at all, say it. The rest is their responsibility.</p>
<p>This is beyond my knowledge. I think this is worth a call to the Dartmouth Admissions Office, and I have to think that at least one admissions person is assigned to recruit Native Americans. Maybe more than one. I’m guessing that what goes for Dartmouth might be the rule of thumb at other places.
Best of luck!</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure the official requirement for qualifying as Native American is being at least 1/16 and having proof of being affiliated with the tribe (ie your certificate of tribal membership). I’m not sure if you can still state you are if you don’t have legal proof, but don’t take my word for it, as this is based on what I know secondhand. Calling the admissions office for more information about their policies is best.</p>
<p>I have no doubt that you have run out of things to do at your school. Even at sophisticated, high income urban schools, I personally can’t see how a smart kid could be happy in high school.
But now is the time to grasp the positives that not having to live in a school schedule affords. This could be home bound, such as reading everything Dickens or Shakespeare ever wrote (which my daughter did), or in the community doing things you couldn’t do if in school (in her case, taking apart mammals at the natural history museum).
“The Teenage Liberation Handbook” is a good source of ideas.</p>